Council to ask for future Unity of Purpose meetings to be minuted as Donnelly criticises ‘selective statements’

Council’s Governance & Strategic Planning Committee this week also called for its meetings to be fully minuted.

Back in June Independent Councillor Gary Donnelly requested a report on Council connections with the group.

A report presented to the committee stated: “Dependent upon issues to be discussed attendance at meetings may include MPs, MLAs, the Mayor of Council, the Chief Executive or other relevant officer and statutory agencies. In terms of Council connections with the Unity of Purpose Group, Councillors do not attend meetings of the Group. The Mayor may be invited to attend meetings of the Group.

“The Chief Executive or another relevant officer may be invited to attend meetings of the Group dependent upon the issue to be discussed.”

The committee heard DC&SDC provides zero funding for the group but it does partially fund CCI. Colr. Donnelly, at the meeting this week, said he still had questions.

“This is a group that nobody knows anything about,” he said.

He added: “We are being asked to join something that nobody can stand up and say here’s what it is or here’s what it isn’t.”

Sinn Féin councillor Sandra Duffy suggested Council write to the group to ask that there’s a representative “from each of the parties and from the independents as well to allow every voice to be heard from across the city and district.”

SDLP councillor Martin Reilly amended the proposal to include a provision for all future meetings to be minuted.

This was approved by a majority of the committee.

Colr. Donnelly was nonetheless adamant, claiming: “This group issues statements, selective statements. They didn’t issue a statement about Brexit. It didn’t issue a statement about COVID. They didn’t issue a statement about some of the stuff that’s really affecting...they don’t issue a statement about state violence. They don’t issue a statement about unemployment. They are very, very selective.”